There is a new king of the action genre in Hollywood and his name is Samuel L. Jackson, who has kept busy over the last decade with a variety of action-packed projects, not the least of which have been those that comprise the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to a study by UK-based price comparison service Uswitch, Jackson has surpassed Robert Downey Jr. as the highest-grossing action star. Jackson's films have a combined gross total of $18.93 billion, while RDJ's action films have a combined revenue of $10.45 billion. They are followed by Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldaña at $8.37 billion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Elizabeth Olsen at $5.73 billion and, finally, Avengers: Endgame star Chris Evans, with his films grossing a combined total of $5.23 billion.
Jackson's filmography is filled with a vast collection of notable action films, the most recent of which include Kong: Skull Island, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. This is on top of the many action-drama films he featured in earlier on in his career. But when it comes to action-oriented films, Jackson is known for two major and recurring roles-- Nick Fury in the MCU and Jedi Master Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Master of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Jedi
While the actor has won a number of awards, including a BAFTA, and earned a number of Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, the actor previously expressed his intention to continue pursuing roles like Nick Fury and Master Windu, which are often ignored by award-giving bodies. The reason being that the awards many view as being prestigious simply don't hold much value for him. He previously cited the Oscars and explained, "[It] doesn’t change your career trajectory that much... A lot of people have them and haven’t done much since."
Instead, Jackson is keener on continuing his career as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. In fact, the actor revealed he approached The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard about resurrecting Mace Windu, who seemingly perished in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. He believed it was possible, stating, "There's a huge history of people with one hand returning in Star Wars."
As for former S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, Jackson said in the past, "I love Nick Fury. Of course. Come on... He’s a guy who has no superpowers, who’s in charge of people who have superpowers, and they let him be. That’s something special about him." He went on to say, "To be able to be that character in that, it’s the same as when I was doing Afro Samurai or any of those comic book characters. It means something to be part of a cultural canon that people revere and that they respect, in another way."
Samuel L. Jackson is set to return to the MCU as Nick Fury in Disney+'s upcoming series, Secret Invasion. The show does not yet have an official release date.
Source: Uswitch